


There's Nothing You Could Say

by misspunkrock



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Lovers, First Time, M/M, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 18:49:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4191015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misspunkrock/pseuds/misspunkrock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt scowled. “What? You want to be bound to me that badly?”</p><p>“It’s not about what I want. Soulbonds are enduring, lasting. You think you can deny it, but you can’t.”</p><p> </p><p>In which Matt ends up reluctantly bonded.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's Nothing You Could Say

Sometimes Matt felt a pull in his chest. Some force urging him to go this way or that way as he went around Hell’s Kitchen in his mask, hunting out crime.

It was inexplicable. Most of the time Matt chose to ignore the feeling.

oOo

 

Matt’s memories from before the accident are in grey.

His sight had been taken from him when he was young, too young to have met his soulmate. Matt will never know color.

It’s because of that Matt has never worried about finding his soulmate. Even if by some odd chance Matt found his, he would never know. There was no point in being bitter, it wouldn’t change anything. Besides, most people lived their life without ever experiencing color. It was incredibly rare to find your perfect match, the missing half to your soul.

If anything, not being able to find his soulmate was an advantage. That was one less person he didn’t have to worry was going to get hurt because of him. The guilt over what the Russians had done to Claire to get to him still haunted him. They could easily have taken his soulmate instead. Anyone who got close to him would be in constant danger.

It was better he didn’t have one, especially if he was going after Fisk.

oOo

 

A plan was forming in Matt’s head as Claire read off the text of the Russians’ locations.

Finding Vladimir was easy enough. Matt listened carefully from his perch on the building. There was only one other man in the room with Vladimir. Beyond the room were more armed men, it would be too risky to go in straight away. Better to wait, get Vladimir alone.

Matt’s heart quickened as he listened to Vladimir speaking lowly in Russian. He didn’t know why. It was probably anticipation. He finally had a solid lead on Fisk. If he could get to Vladimir he was that much closer to getting Fisk.

Matt, however, hadn’t been expecting the bombs.

The building they were at shook as the explosion tore through it. Matt landed on solid concrete with a groan. He tried to get up but was stopped by a heavy weight on his chest. It was a man, dead, presumably one of Vladimir’s. After rolling him off, Matt attempted to move again. He stood shakily, sharp pains in his back slowing his movements.

Despite the vague ringing in his ears Matt picked up the sound of voices. He stood and turned his head, concentrating on hearing. Someone was yelling Vladimir’s name. There was stumbling footsteps heading his way. By some stroke of luck Vladimir had survived. This was his chance to get the information he needed.

Judging by the sound of the steps there was two of them. One had to be Vladimir and the other one of his men. It would be easy to take them out, especially after they’d been injured in the explosion. Matt could smell the blood in the air. Plus, Matt had the element of surprise working in his favor; they wouldn’t be expecting his attack.

The feeling in his chest was stronger than it had ever been. It was incredibly difficult to brush off the pull like he would any other day. Every part of his being was calling out for something. Something important, something he needed to get to _now_.

Matt clenched his hands into fists and took a breath. He needed to focus. _This,_ getting evidence against Fisk, was what was important. He wouldn’t get another chance like this.

He was failing in willing the feeling away when a chain link fence creaked open and the footsteps drew nearer. The angry muttering in Russian grew louder. Matt waited with little patience. All they had to do was take a few more steps and Matt could make his move.

For a moment he was afraid to do anything. He was sure if he moved in any way he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from following the pull.

Matt didn’t have time to think about it because then Vladimir was there, in the alleyway and finally within reach. The pair had stopped moving. It sounded like his friend was urging them to keep going but Vladimir refused to. Matt didn’t know, or care for that matter, why they had stopped. Hitting an immobile target was easier than a moving one. Matt didn’t waste any time in striking. He could worry about the pull later. Right now he had a job to do.

As Matt had predicted, taking them out wasn’t too difficult. With one blow Vladimir’s companion was down before he realized what was happening. Matt turned to face Vladimir. For one second Matt hesitated. They both did.

Blood was rushing through his veins, his heart was racing and all Matt could think to blame it on was the adrenaline. He couldn’t put a name to what he was feeling, it was close to terrified. Like he was on the edge of a cliff and if he took one step forward everything was going to change.

Vladimir growled something in Russian and Matt had to twist away to avoid the oncoming hit. Matt didn’t think anymore, allowed instinct to take over and fought back. He managed to knock Vladimir to the ground. Matt kneeled over him, moved to punch the man beneath him. Anger was building inside him, telling him to make Vladimir suffer. He was a criminal. He was the man who had a young boy kidnapped, who had taken Claire and had her beaten.

Matt pulled his fist back and it connected painfully with the side of Vladimir’s face. All he got in was the one hit because as soon as his bare skin touched Vladimir’s his world shifted.

Matt inhaled a sharp breath in surprise. A cutting sensation ran from his hand to the rest of his body, like he’d been electrocuted. Something inside him, that he hadn’t realized was restless until now, settled. A sense of _right_ and _wholeness_ washed over him.

Immediately Matt felt panicked, he didn’t know what was happening and he tried to pull his hand back to stop the foreign feeling from invading his body. But he couldn’t move away. Vladimir’s hand had come up to hold Matt’s wrist to his face, his grip tight enough it was bordering on painful. The anger he had felt was gone. It was replaced by a confusing euphoria.

“I…I can see…There is…color.” Vladimir said in accented English.

It took a second for it to click in Matt’s brain. Colors, Vladimir was seeing colors.

Oh.

 _He’s mine._ Matt thought with dawning horror. _I’m his_.

He froze. Matt hadn’t even realized his hand had loosened from the tight fist he had been holding it in. He wasn’t thinking about it when he’d curled his hand to cup the side of Vladimir’s face. Matt’s fingers brushed across the scar over his eye.

It didn’t matter he couldn’t see. Matt had found his soulmate anyways. Of course it had to be one of the worst criminals in Hell’s Kitchen.

Matt opened his mouth to speak, about to curse the situation he found himself in when police sirens screamed into the alleyway. Within seconds they were out of their cars, guns pointed and aimed at Matt.

“Hands in the air!”

Matt slowly began to raise his hands. He needed to get out of there and he needed Vladimir with him. If only to question him, never mind the whole soulmate aspect. The officers kept shouting at him. He had to act fast.

It was harder than it should have been to stop touching Vladimir. The new bond between them was telling him they needed to be closer, not farther away.

One of the cops came over to cuff him. Except even with his wrists bound, Matt was still able to take out most of the officers with success. The only thing that posed a real problem was when agonizing pain ripped into his side. He felt along his torso, expecting to find a gunshot wound and found nothing. Vladimir was screaming from a few feet away. Matt realized he wasn’t the one who had been shot.

Matt managed to get the keys to the cuffs from the last officer; then he knocked him out too.

“How bad are you hurt?” He asked while unlocking the cuffs.

Vladimir moaned something out in Russian. He reached out for a gun that had fallen near him during the brief fight. Matt forcibly stopped him before he could get a grip on it.

Matt sighed. Perhaps he had been a bit too physical just now because Vladimir was out cold. The only way the two of them were getting out of there was if Matt carried him. He lifted the other man up and over his shoulder. Matt did his best to ignore the fact it felt good to be in such close contact with him again.

oOo

 

A couple streets away Matt found an abandoned warehouse. Going in would at least afford Matt some time to think and get himself together; the police were seconds away from catching up with them.

The night was turning into a disaster. Up until this point Matt hadn’t cared about what would happen to Vladimir after he interrogated him. If he left him, odds were he would die from his injuries. Or the police would find him first and lock him up, and that wasn’t a guarantee he would survive. Fisk owned enough of the cops to make sure Vladimir would be dead long before he saw the inside of a prison cell.

But now Matt’s instincts were shouting at him to protect his soulmate. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to leave Vladimir so easily anymore.

Matt contemplated what to do as he climbed the stairs up to the second floor of the building. First, he would get the information he needed. Then he would find a way to get both of them out of there. He could figure out what to do with Vladimir later.

Decision made, he eased Vladimir onto the cold floor. After a few more moments Matt heard him regain consciousness with a soft groan.

“You’ve been shot, don’t move.” Matt had experienced Vladimir’s pain for just a few seconds. He could only imagine how much his wound was still affecting him.

Vladimir ignored him and continued to speak in furious Russian.

“That sounds pretty bad. But I don’t speak asshole.”

“I’m going to kill you for what you did to my brother, soulmatch or not.” Vladimir snarled.

Matt walked closer to where Vladimir was laying. “You’re wrong. That wasn’t me, I don’t kill people.”

Vladimir laughed, though it sounded like it hurt. “You dropped Semyon off roof. Put him in coma.”

“But he was still breathing.”

Vladimir took a few harsh breaths. “I found your mask on my brother’s body.”

“I didn’t kill him.” Matt repeated. They didn’t have time for this.

“You’re lying!”

Matt kneeled down and got right into Vladimir’s space, willing him to understand.

“This is all Fisk’s doing. He’s the one who blew your operation to shit. He killed your brother and he’s trying to do the same to you.” Something else came into Matt’s head, a vague memory from school when they talked about soulmates. “You would know if I was lying, listen to the bond between us.”

“Can’t” Vladimir panted, “it hasn’t been sealed yet. Or don’t they teach you anything in American schools?” Vladimir coughed. It sounded rough and wet. “What do you want?” He asked once he got his breath back.

“Fisk, charged and sentenced for everything he has done.” Matt answered

Vladimir laughed weakly again. “Fool.” He said; then was silent.

“Vladimir?” Matt shook his shoulder. No response.

The smell of blood kept getting stronger and stronger. A thread of panic wove through him. Vladimir was dying. He was bleeding out, and Matt didn’t know how to help him.

Claire would though.

She answered on the fourth ring when he called her. Matt could hear the anger in her voice after he told her who it was he was attempting to save. He almost told her Vladimir was his soulmate. Maybe she wouldn’t be as reluctant.

But he couldn’t. He was having trouble accepting it himself, let alone trying to tell somebody else.

When he pressed the flare into Vladimir’s side, the pain felt worse than the gunshot. There was also the mental strain on top of it, the bond protesting what he was doing. Vladimir’s screams cut him to the core.

Matt collapsed on the ground next to Vladimir. Logically he knew he wasn’t the one who had been burned but it he felt _all_ of it.

Matt was so caught up in the psychic affliction he didn’t know a cop had heard the yelling and had come investigating. Not until it was too late and the officer had already made it up the stairs.

“Show me your hands!” He shouted.

Shit.

Matt continued to lie on the ground, feigning unconsciousness. He waited for the cop to come to him. Soon he was close enough for Matt to kick his legs out from beneath him. His gun and flashlight clattered to the ground when he fell. They both rose unsteadily to their feet.

The cop landed a few decent hits on him but Matt overpowered him. The man ended up back on the ground. A few seconds later Matt realized his mistake when he heard him scrambling across the floor to get to his gun.

 _Stupid._ Matt berated himself. He should have secured the weapon first chance he had.

Matt was preparing to dive out of the way of the bullets when a heavy weight came barreling into his side. Vladimir had tackled him. Saved him? Matt didn’t have time to contemplate that because instead of landing on the floor when they fell, the wood splintered under their weight and they crashed down to the cement of the basement.

Matt couldn’t move for a couple of minutes. His entire body ached. Despite a couple of false starts, he pushed through the pain and got upright.

“That wasn’t very smart.”

“No…” Vladimir agreed, “but he was going to kill you.”

Matt didn’t know what to say to that so instead he said, “He’s going to call for backup. This whole building is going to be surrounded.” Which meant they needed an escape route and fast. “Can you move?”

Vladimir was breathing heavily. “Doesn’t matter, there’s no way out.” His heartbeat slowed, getting weaker and then stuttering into silence.

“No.” Matt uttered in disbelief.

He would be pissed off if he wasn’t busy being panicked a second time. This could not be happening again.

He straddled Vladimir’s torso and began chest compressions. His desperation grew the longer Vladimir went without breathing. Matt couldn’t think clearly, he started slamming his fist down onto Vladimir’s chest, _needing_ his heart to start again.

Medically speaking it probably wasn’t the best thing to do. It worked though. That was all that mattered.

Vladimir gasped hoarsely as he came to. “What?” He asked with an unsteady voice.

Matt couldn’t answer. Vladimir had been dead and with him a part of Matt’s soul. It couldn’t have been more than a minute but it had been long enough to shake Matt up on a fundamental level. The fledgling bond between them felt chaotic and distressed.

“Just…stay awake until I can find us a way out.” Matt said.

“Easy for you to say.” Vladimir wheezed. “You haven’t been shot, burned.”

Matt didn’t respond. He sat by Vladimir and listened to his heartbeat. He had to be sure it wouldn’t falter again, that it would stay steady. He fought the desire to reach for Vladimir’s wrist, his neck, and physically feel the pulse there.

Reassured, Matt stood to examine their surroundings. In the distance Matt could hear the sirens getting close. There was also a faint…rumbling sound. Matt focused on that and it led him to the grate in the corner of the room. Beneath it was a tunnel system; one had to lead to a street.

He grunted as he pulled against the rusted iron with what strength he had left.

“What are you doing over there?” Vladimir shuffled across the small space.

“This is the only way out.” Matt said from between clenched teeth.

The police were all but there. Matt could make out some of the chatter on their radios. The more time they spent stuck, the more it seemed they were going to be caught. Matt’s second attempt at prying the grate open was as futile as his first.

There was a soft clang. Vladimir had clapped his hands into the grate and taken hold of it.

“I’m not dying here.”

Matt nodded. Together they succeeded in lifting the thing.

When they were in the tunnel Matt felt hopeful. They had a real shot at getting away.

Matt supported Vladimir the whole time they made their way down the abandoned space. Every time they had to stop anxiety would surge through Matt. Vladimir had already passed out twice; his heart had stopped and for all Matt knew it wouldn’t take much for it to stop again. It probably wasn’t helping either of their injuries to be running through a tunnel.

The police radios were getting louder.

“We have to keep moving.”

Vladimir grunted in reply. He hooked his arm over Matt’s shoulders and they continued on.

Finally they found a door that would lead them to the streets. They were almost free. Vladimir leaned against the wall while Matt tried the door. It wouldn’t budge. Vladimir coughed up more blood as Matt struggled with it. A part of Matt was surprised Vladimir was upright; he had lost so much blood.

That was when two more cops found them. Matt pushed Vladimir to the ground before they rounded the corner and open fired.

It was tricky fighting the two of them while they kept shooting in the enclosed space. Every press of the trigger was another chance one of them would get shot. Matt wasn’t sure Vladimir could survive that. He dealt with them quickly. From there all it took was a swift kick to break the lock on the door.

However when Matt turned to get Vladimir up he wouldn’t move.

“There isn’t time for this, come on.” Matt kneeled by him.

“Think…I stay.” Vladimir muttered. He was slumped against the wall, his breath coming out raspy.

“We can get out of this.” Matt wasn’t going to let him give up so easily.

“What you want? Is the name Leland Owlsley, he handles the money.”

In a different world Matt would have left him. He would have accepted the information and gone without looking back.

But in the reality Matt lived in he couldn’t do that. For better or worse he was tied to Vladimir. This man was his other half; it was programmed into his DNA to keep him safe.

Matt grabbed his shoulders. “I told you we’re getting out of here.” He pulled Vladimir back up the wall.

Vladimir chuckled faintly. “Stupid. I’ll slow you down.” He still allowed Matt to take his weight and help him move towards the door.

Matt knew he was being stupid. He didn’t know what was going to happen once they actually made it out of there. There wasn’t a plan to deal with any of this. He just knew he couldn’t leave Vladimir to die.

oOo

 

A month passed and Matt still didn’t know what he was doing.

The first night Vladimir figured out he was blind. Matt had been lowering him down onto the couch. Before Matt could stand he had reached out, quicker than Matt would have thought possible considering the extent of his injuries, and taken hold of the black fabric of his mask and pulled.

Matt frowned at him. Vladimir let out a noise of surprise.

“Your eyes…You can’t see?” Vladimir asked. “That’s impossible, the way you fight…” He trailed off.

“I’ve been blind since I was a child.”

Vladimir sounded like he was smiling when he said, “You’re crazy. Only crazy man would fight criminals without being able to see.”

Matt lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. “There are other ways to see.”

Vladimir made a thoughtful hum at that. “You’ll have to explain later.” Then he had passed out on Matt’s couch, the mask in his hand.

The next week Vladimir drifted in and out of consciousness. Matt cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Feeling Vladimir’s bare skin would have affected Matt more if he wasn’t worried about the damage he could feel. Every night he fell asleep listening to Vladimir’s heart, comforted that it sounded steady.

After two weeks Vladimir could get up on his own. Matt insisted he move as little as possible. Vladimir seemed determined to ignore him. That was how he discovered Matt was a lawyer, he found some case documents.

“So that’s where you go every day in your suit.”

“Is that what you do while I’m gone? Go through my things?”

“Yes.” He had admitted without any shame.

By the twenty-first day Matt learned Vladimir liked to complain. His couch was shitty, “I’ve slept better in prison cells” he said. His apartment was boring, his taste in alcohol was terrible, and what he enjoyed bemoaning the most was the fact he didn’t know Matt’s name.

“What will I call you when we seal bond?” His tone had been teasing, and far too suggestive.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re not sealing it.” Because once the bond was sealed that would be it. There wouldn’t ever be anyone else, for either of them. Their lives would be more permanently bound together than they already were.

Maybe if they left the bond incomplete it would eventually fade. Matt could live his life and Vladimir could leave and live his. There was no way the two of them could work.

Vladimir laughed. “You think so?”

Matt scowled. “What? You want to be bound to me that badly?”

“It’s not about what I want. Soulbonds are enduring, lasting. You think you can deny it, but you can’t.”

“I’m supposed to accept I have no choice in this?” Matt was stubborn. He was damn well going to exhaust his other options before he gave in because fate decided his perfect match was a Russian crime lord.

“You do have choice. You can stop whining about it or you can make us both miserable until you give in. Only matter of time.” Vladimir stated as if it was a fact.

“I don’t believe that.” Matt told him.

“Yes you do.” Vladimir had to be grinning, “you just don’t want to admit it, even to yourself. It’s okay, I can wait.” Vladimir groaned when he shifted on the couch. “Can’t fuck properly until I feel better anyways.”

Matt had scowled even harder and left the room. Vladimir’s pained laughter followed him.

The twenty-fourth day Matt caved and gave Vladimir his name.

“Matt.” He drew the name out. “Matthew. I like it.”

For the rest of the day Vladimir called him by his name every chance he got. It was meant to be annoying but every time it happened a small thrill went through Matt.

By the end of the month Matt had finished explaining his ‘world on fire’.

“So you can see.” Vladimir concluded.

“Not exactly just because my senses are heightened–”

“Yeah, I get it,” Vladimir interrupted. “But in a way you _do_ see, yes?”

“In a way.” Matt acquiesced.

“Can you see what I look like?”

“No, not really. With people I can feel them, touch them and from that …” Matt had trouble finding the right words “I can get an impression, I guess you could say.”

Vladimir was silent for a couple minutes.

“Do you want to feel what I look like then?”

“No.” Matt lied.

“Come on, you’re not a little bit curious about your soulmatch?” Vladimir straightened up on the couch and patted the empty space next to him. Matt didn’t move.

“Or perhaps” Vladimir sounded daring, “it’s that you are afraid once you start touching me, you won’t be able to stop.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Matt said. Except that a part of him was afraid. The only time he touched Vladimir was to change the dressings on his side; a task he kept short and perfunctory. He wouldn’t allow any long, lingering contact because Vladimir was right. He wasn’t sure he could stop.

“Prove it.” He challenged.

Matt sighed. “Now you’re being childish.”

“Maybe, doesn’t change that I’m right.” He patted the couch again.

Matt could have walked away. Probably should have. Instead he walked over to the couch and pretended he couldn’t hear Vladimir’s heart beating faster, that his own wasn’t doing the same.

He sat down and faced Vladimir. “Don’t move.” He told him.

Vladimir stayed quiet as Matt lifted his hands to his face. Instantly Matt felt relaxed, like his entire body had been tensed but now Vladimir’s touch soothed him. Matt could feel the same was true for Vladimir. For a moment that’s all Matt did, hold Vladimir’s face between his palms; he couldn’t think beyond how nice the simple contact felt.

“Don’t you have to move your hands?” Matt could feel he was smirking.

“Shut up.” Matt muttered.

He started with Vladimir’s hair. It was cropped short. Next he felt along his forehead. He found the scar he had discovered the night they met. It extended past his eye and cut into the top part of his cheek. How many other scars did Vladimir have?

Matt pushed the thought away and kept going. He felt the curve of his cheek, dragged his fingers across the sharp lines of Vladimir’s jaw, over the jut of his chin. The ridge of his nose seemed slightly crooked; it had to have been broken a couple times.

“Close your eyes.” The words came out little more than a whisper.

Vladimir did so without saying anything back. Matt traced the delicate skin of his eyelids, the arch of his brows. His exploration eventually led him to the bow of Vladimir’s mouth. He stuttered over it, almost hesitating before he realized it was stupid to be nervous about touching someone’s lips. He’d done it in the past.

That didn’t stop him from being tentative when he brushed his thumb over the fullness of Vladimir’s lower lip. Warm breath swept across his fingers when Vladimir parted his lips and exhaled. There was a shift in the atmosphere; the air between them was thick.

Vladimir’s lips were soft. Matt wondered how they would feel beneath his own.

Vladimir’s heartbeat increased and Matt knew what he was going to do. As if he had sensed the direction of Matt’s thoughts, Vladimir leaned forward and kissed him. Matt froze.

Vladimir kissing was anything but tentative. He pushed and took what he wanted. His hands came up to frame Matt’s face, holding him in place. The bond flared to life and Matt felt powerless to it. Instinct told him he needed _more._

Matt opened his mouth to tell Vladimir they couldn’t do this. Vladimir didn’t give him the chance to speak, using the opportunity to taste the inside of Matt’s mouth with deft strokes of his tongue. Matt barely contained the resulting moan from leaving his chest.

Matt lowered his hands to Vladimir’s shoulders and pushed him off. “Stop.” Matt’s voice held a hoarse edge to it.

Vladimir lowered his head to Matt’s neck. “Stubborn.” He grumbled in frustration. He pressed one last kiss into the skin there; then pulled away. Matt felt bereft.

It took every ounce of willpower Matt had to get up and leave. After that Vladimir’s presence was too tempting. Matt wanted to taste him again, to feel the weight of his body against Matt’s own.

oOo

 

The next morning Matt hadn’t been able to shake the incident from his thoughts. He was the first one to arrive at the office.

Karen made it in after him.

“Matt?” She seemed shocked to see him. “You’re not usually here this early. Is everything okay?”

“Not exactly.” Matt considered how to answer her. “Have you ever heard of anyone breaking a soulbond?”

“ _Breaking_ one? Never.” She pulled out the seat across from him and sat down. “Why? Did you find a case for us?”

Matt tapped the table’s surface, deep in thought. “Something like that.” It couldn’t be impossible to break the bond, or at least suppress it somehow. “Would you give me everything we have on soulbonds?”

“Of course.” She rose, seconds later the file cabinet creaked open. “If you want I could do some research too? Between the two of us we might be able to find something.” She set a stack of files in front of Matt. He reached for the top one.

“That would great Karen, thank you.” He truly meant it.

From then on Matt made it his mission to be out of the apartment as much as possible. He spent his days at the office and most of his nights doing everything he could to track down Owlsley. By the time he made it back home in the early hours of morning Vladimir was sleeping.

The entire time the bond thrummed inside of Matt. It buzzed under his skin and whispered in his head. All he could think about was Vladimir. It hadn’t been this bad the past month. Of course at first it had been hard. But Matt was disciplined, he could control his desires.

Ever since the kiss though, the pull had become considerably stronger, much more difficult to ignore. It was something Matt had to actively work against. Each moment was an exercise in self-control.

This was especially true when he had to change the bandages on Vladimir’s side. Matt was sure he had gotten well enough he could do it himself. The one time Matt had made him do it, he had messed it up (which he was positive Vladimir had done on purpose) and he’d redone them. Every time Vladimir would make these _sounds_ as soon as Matt laid his hands on him; these little sighs and quiet moans. Matt knew he was doing it in the hope of provoking a reaction. He hated that it worked.

If he went too long without making any kind of contact with Vladimir the bond would ache from his absence. That was when it was the worst. Because in addition to the constant longing, Matt was restless and unbalanced, he couldn’t focus on anything. He knew Vladimir had to be experiencing the same effects too.

The longest Matt had been able to go was a week. He had taken a bad beating one night and hadn’t been able to leave Claire’s. At the end of it he had walked into his apartment shaking. He felt _wrong_. Vladimir wasn’t faring much better.

“Ready to admit I’m right?” He’d asked, voice tight. “You know we’ll only feel better once the bond is sealed.”

“Could you just…be quiet.” Matt dropped onto the couch. He let his head fall onto Vladimir’s shoulder. The relief was instantaneous. Vladimir put an arm around him, pulled him closer. Matt hadn’t thought to protest.

Other times, if Matt wasn’t paying attention he would end up back at his apartment. On three different occasions he had been walking, meaning to go someplace else when his legs would take him down familiar routes leading home.

There were nights when he did go back, and was tired enough; he would end up bypassing his room in favor of going over to where Vladimir slept. He always caught himself before he did something embarrassing like attempt to climb onto the narrow couch with him.

Vladimir, however, had no such qualms about doing the same to him. One morning Matt woke up hotter than usual. When he started to move around he found he was in the arms of a deeply asleep Vladimir. Matt could feel him breathing against his neck. Suddenly the comfortable warmth of his skin felt like brands searing into Matt. It was too much. It was _not enough_.

Arousal pulsed through Matt. He imagined how they would fit together. It would be effortless to turn around and find Vladimir’s mouth. Bring their bodies together and rut and grind in a messy rhythm until they cried out in release.

Matt was jerked out of his thoughts when his phone rang. Karen was calling him. Matt moved to get up and answer. Vladimir’s hold tightened, stopping him. Matt allowed the closeness for a few more heartbeats then he forced his way free. Vladimir mumbled some protest in Russian.

Matt got up and searched for his phone. He didn’t find it in time, an alert beeped, indicating a new voicemail. He’d be seeing her at the office within the hour anyway. They could talk when he got there. Besides, there was another issue Matt had to deal with.

He faced where Vladimir was lying.

“Why are you in my bed?”

“No” Vladimir yawned. “The question is why aren’t you in your bed?” The sheets rustled as Vladimir stretched out. “I can’t believe you’ve been sleeping on silk while I’m stuck on that shitty couch.”

“Vladimir.” Matt ground out.

“What? Last I remember I fell asleep out there.” Vladimir’s heartbeat didn’t falter. He was telling the truth.

That couldn’t mean anything good. The bond was affecting them while they slept.

Matt groaned in frustration. It took serious effort to get ready for work instead of getting back into his bed with Vladimir. He didn’t bother telling Vladimir to leave, knowing he would refuse.

Matt had his trousers pulled halfway up his legs when Vladimir wrapped his hand around his wrist.

“Stay.” He said simply.

“I…”

_Karen Karen Karen_

His phone rang again.

“I have to go.” Matt said with some reluctance.

Vladimir squeezed his wrist then let go. “Your loss.” He laid down again.

oOo

 

Matt was scarcely at his apartment anymore. Being anywhere near Vladimir was too hard. Matt could sense his presence in every corner of the place.

Matt resolved to stay away from him. It was all he knew to do to discourage the bond.

The first few days he managed. It was uncomfortable but Matt had dealt with worse. It was when a week had passed that things became challenging. He’d never been able to make it past a week.

The ninth morning he woke up in a cold sweat. He had spent the night at the office, getting little sleep. Fatigue weighed on him.

Whenever Matt closed his eyes to sleep he pictured Vladimir. No matter what he did his thoughts always strayed back to how warm his body had been pressed right up behind Matt. He remembered running his fingers through his hair, feeling the contours of his face, the smell of him on Matt’s sheets. It was maddening. Matt couldn’t find a moment of rest because of it.

A couple days after that Foggy approached him. “You’re not looking too hot. Are you coming down with something?” He slapped his hand to Matt’s forehead. “It doesn’t feel like you have a fever.”

Matt laughed faintly. “I’m fine, Foggy. I just haven’t been sleeping well.”

“You look like you haven’t slept in days.” Which, to be fair, was an accurate assessment.

He began the second week with an emptiness clawing at his heart. No matter what he did there was no respite. The pain became unbearable to the point Matt couldn’t understand how his heart could hurt so much yet continue to beat normally in his chest like it had his entire life.

Knowing that relief was possible was a strain on his willpower. All he had to do was go to Vladimir

That had him doubting his decision. He and Karen hadn’t been able to find anything to sever the bond. The likelihood of it lowered every day they came up with nothing.

Eventually the simplest tasks seemed to drain his energy. Karen and Foggy noticed. Matt could tell they were getting concerned.

“That’s it.” Foggy declared. “You’re going home.”

“What?” Matt tried to sit up straighter. He was too haggard and worn to actually succeed in the movement. “I’m fine.”

“You can barely move. Go home and get some rest.” Foggy talked over his protests.

“He’s right Matt, you look terrible.” Karen added.

“Don’t make me drag you there myself.” His friend threatened. Considering that this was Foggy it wasn’t an idle threat either.

It hit Matt how monumentally bad it would be for Foggy to walk into his apartment and see Vladimir there.

“Okay.” Matt admitted defeat. “You guys win.” He stumbled over to the door. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Don’t come back until you’re feeling better, I’m serious.” Foggy shouted after him. Matt would have smiled at how overprotective Foggy could be if he wasn’t nervous about seeing Vladimir.

oOo

 

Matt walked up the steps to his door, listening to the rapid drumming of Vladimir’s heart. He opened the door and expected Vladimir to start cursing at him in Russian. He was pretty sure the words “stubborn bastard” would be used at least once.

But when Matt walked in he could tell the room was empty.

“Vladimir?” Matt called out. He got no response. The door closed with a faint click behind him. He slipped off his shoes and took a few more steps into the room. The quiet was off putting.

Matt could hear his heart, he knew he was nearby. Even if he couldn’t, Matt was certain the tugging in his chest would lead him straight to Vladimir regardless.

He concentrated on listening. It sounded like Vladimir was in his room. He made his way over to it and was about to turn the handle when the door opened and crashed into the wall with a bang. Vladimir was panting in the doorway.

“ _You_.”

He grabbed Matt’s shirt with both hands and dragged him forwards only to slam him up against the wall. For a moment Matt didn’t even register the aggression in the action. Vladimir was touching him, however slightly, it was still happening. As a result the bond wasn’t hurting as much.

“You _stupid_ –” Vladimir continued his rant in Russian.

Matt brought his hands up to grip Vladimir’s biceps; ready to push him away and defend himself. He half expected the other man to try and punch him.

Except Vladimir did something completely different instead.

He wrapped his arms around Matt and brought their bodies flush together. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just what felt like a worn pair of Matt’s pajama pants. His face went to Matt’s neck and he could feel him speaking hotly into his skin. It was like a fire had started inside of Matt. Vladimir worked his thigh in between Matt’s legs and Matt was burning with the need to go further, to experience more.

He sighed when Vladimir started kissing wherever he could reach. Vladimir’s lips pressed into his jaw, across his throat, over his collarbone. Matt could have cried from the relief being near Vladimir brought.

“Vladimir.” Matt was breathless from it. He was holding onto Vladimir so tightly. He was torn between running away and pulling him closer.

Vladimir pulled his head back but trailed his hands up Matt’s sides and rested one on his chest, the other curved loosely around his neck.

“Tell me to stop, I will.” He said lowly into Matt’s ear. “But I don’t think you want me to.” He stretched his fingers up Matt’s neck until his thumb dragged against his lower lip. Matt parted his lips without thinking about it. “I think you want me to touch you.” Matt didn’t disagree. They both knew it was the truth.

“Especially here.” He moved his thigh where it was pressed against Matt, creating a tantalizing friction. Matt couldn’t help the small thrusts of his hips into the sensation. There was no hiding how hard he was getting because of it. He could feel Vladimir was in a similar state.

“Fuck.” Matt murmured. He was so tired. Tired of denying himself, of being constantly at war with the bond; he couldn’t do it anymore; he didn’t _want_ to do it anymore.

“Okay.” Matt brought Vladimir’s face to his. “Okay.” He repeated; speaking hardly above a whisper as their mouths met.

Vladimir’s lips were as soft as he remembered. Kissing Vladimir was almost like fighting him. It was rough and desperate; all slick heat with teeth catching on lips and tongues brushing over each other. Matt poured every pent up frustration and desire he had been feeling over the last two months into it.

He ran his hands over Vladimir’s bare skin, trying to feel all of him at once. He was shocked at how many scars he could feel. In other places his skin was different, not quite as smooth, Matt assumed those were tattoos. He committed each one to memory.

Vladimir started to unbutton the dress shirt Matt had on. He was doing it too quickly and his fingers ended up stumbling over the buttons. He stopped the kiss long enough to growl “I swear I will tear this damn thing off if–”  

“Shh… let me…” Matt pushed Vladimir’s hands out of the way and undid the rest of the buttons swiftly. He didn’t bother pulling the shirt all the way off. It would take too long and he didn’t want to stop touching Vladimir. So it hung open off his shoulders.

Vladimir was back in his space, exploring the exposed planes of his chest and abs. Matt took pleasure in the simple contact, arching into it and encouraging Vladimir with hushed moans. He traced the edges of Matt’s trousers.

“You’re lucky I don’t have patience to wait tonight, I would hear you beg.” Without wasting any time Vladimir firmly rubbed the hard line of Matt’s cock. Matt stifled the resulting moan. His head fell back on the wall.

“Don’t, I want to hear you.” Vladimir caught his lips in another messy kiss before he could respond. Vladimir distracted him so thoroughly with his mouth, Matt didn’t know he had unbuckled his belt and gotten his pants undone until his fingers had curved around his cock.

Matt gasped into the kiss. There was no hesitation; Vladimir stroked him with surety and purpose. The air was punched out of Matt’s lungs, he couldn’t think beyond how good it felt.

“God, don’t stop.” Matt groaned. The muscles in Matt’s stomach tensed as he rolled his hips into it. “You too, I want to feel you too.”

“Anything.” Vladimir agreed. “How do you want me?”

“Like this.” Matt licked a wet trail across his palm then reached down into Vladimir’s pants. He closed his hand around Vladimir’s cock and pulled it out so it was right alongside Matt’s, overlapping their fingers. The sensation had Matt biting his lip. “Just like this.”

Vladimir thrusted up into the circle of their hands and swore. Through the bond everything felt magnified, Vladimir’s pleasure echoed through Matt and vice versa. Matt didn’t think either of them would last very long.

By that point Matt was leaning heavily against the wall, supporting both of them. Vladimir rested his forehead along Matt’s temple. He was mumbling in a mix of Russian and English. Matt caught a few of his half spoken thoughts. “Make such pretty noises….so good for me…fuck…want to…”

It was nearly an overload to Matt’s elevated senses. The smell of sex, sweat damp skin permeated the air, he heard every ragged rush of breath; the taste of Vladimir’s mouth was still heavy on his tongue.

“I’m close.” Every grind and push of their bodies sent Matt closer to the edge.

“I know, come for me. I bet you look so good when you do.” Vladimir kept coaxing him in Russian.

His tone, gentler and bordering on pleading, was what had Matt coming over their hands. Vladimir followed seconds later, Matt’s name on his lips. They leaned into each other, sharing the air between them as they recovered.

Matt’s legs gave out. He was slipping down the wall when Vladimir caught him. “Come on.” He led Matt over to the bed with care. Matt sat on its edge and laid back. Vladimir stood in front of him. Based on the rustle of fabric he was taking off his pants.

Matt laughed lightly, still catching his breath.

“Something amusing to you?” Vladimir asked as he kneeled between Matt’s legs. He started pulling Matt’s trousers the rest of the way off. Matt lifted his hips to help him and said, “We were literally a few steps away from a bed and didn’t even use it.”

Once Vladimir had his pants off, he stood and didn’t pause before straddling Matt, knees on either side of him.

“We could use now.” He rolled his hips. Matt shuddered. He fit his hands around Vladimir’s waist to support him.

“We could.” The words came out muffled because Vladimir leaned down to kiss him again.

Neither of them got much sleep that night.

oOo

 

Matt was the first to wake up in the morning. He was lying on his front, head on Vladimir’s shoulder. Vladimir had one arm wrapped around him, his hand resting on Matt’s lower back.

The bond was finally sealed. He waited for the regret to hit him. He had been trying to avoid this since the beginning.

It never came though. There was only a certain kind of satisfaction from it, a rightness that settled in his bones. Besides, what was done was done. There was no use in being regretful about it.

Since the bond was sealed, Matt was aware of Vladimir in a way he hadn’t ever been. He held an intangible presence in Matt’s mind. If he focused on it enough he could get a sense of how Vladimir was feeling. In his sleep Vladimir’s mind was content, peaceful.

Matt was relieved this meant they could be apart without the bond causing them pain. They would always feel the desire to be near each other, though it wouldn’t be as strong as it had been the past few weeks.

And Matt still had his doubts. He had no idea how their lives would fit together, he didn’t know where to begin when it came to building a future for the two of them. They had to start somewhere. Possibly with Fisk, Matt had known from the night they met Vladimir could be an asset when it came to taking Fisk down.

“Thinking about running away again?” Vladimir’s voice was thick from sleep.

“No.” Matt answered honestly.

“Good.” Vladimir drew idle patterns over the small of Matt’s back.

“Yeah.” Matt settled comfortably along Vladimir’s side, already making plans in his head. “I think we might be.”

Who knew, maybe the universe had thrown them together for a reason. They might actually make it in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> The working title for this was "literally idek" because seriously, I have no idea how this happened? How did I end up writing a 7k fic about these two?
> 
> If you want you can find me on [tumblr](http://thebuckyrogers.tumblr.com/)~


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